Data retention of last word line of non-volatile memory arrays

A method for operating a non-volatile storage device, the method comprising:

• performing an erase of a group of non-volatile storage elements, the group of non-volatile storage elements comprises a plurality of NAND strings;
• programming a first of the NAND strings, the first NAND string having a plurality of data non-volatile storage elements and at least one dummy non-volatile storage element, the dummy non-volatile storage element is a neighbor to one of the data non-volatile storage elements, the programming comprising:
• applying one or more programming voltages to the data non-volatile storage elements, at least some of the data non-volatile storage elements experience an apparent increase in threshold voltage due to floating gate coupling that occurs due to subsequent programming of another of the non-volatile storage elements;
• verifying that each of the data non-volatile storage elements has been programmed to a target threshold voltage for the respective data non-volatile storage element;
• and
• applying at least one programming voltage to the dummy non-volatile storage element after verifying that each of the data non-volatile storage elements has been programmed to a target threshold voltage for the respective non-volatile storage element, the at least one programming voltage increases the threshold voltage of the dummy non-volatile storage element to a target threshold voltage level that compensates for lesser floating gate coupling experienced by the neighbor non-volatile storage element during programming of the other data non-volatile storage elements.

A method for operating a non-volatile storage device, the method comprising:

• performing an erase of a group of non-volatile storage elements, the group is associated with a plurality of data word lines, the plurality of data word lines have a last word line, the group is associated with a drain side select line, the group is associated with a source side select line, the group is associated with a dummy word line between the drain side select line and the last word line;
• programming non-volatile storage elements associated with the data word lines sequentially in the direction from the source side select line towards the drain side select line;
• and
• applying a programming voltage to the dummy word line after programming the non-volatile storage elements associated with the data word lines, the dummy word line has a dummy non-volatile storage element, the last word line has a neighbor non-volatile storage element adjacent to the dummy non-volatile storage element, the programming voltage increases the charge on a floating gate of the dummy non-volatile storage element, the increase in charge on the floating gate of the dummy non-volatile storage element increases the apparent threshold voltage of the neighbor non-volatile storage element to compensate for lesser floating gate coupling experienced by the neighbor non-volatile storage element during programming of the non-volatile storage elements associated with the data word lines.